Publications
Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
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Sample Science Traceability Matrix (SSTM) for Perseverance’s Mars sample return collection Sample Science Traceability Matrix (SSTM) for Perseverance’s Mars sample return collection
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign aims to retrieve a set of carefully selected and documented samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in and around Jezero Crater on Mars and deliver this set to Earth for comprehensive laboratory analyses. To emphasize the immense scientific return of this unique collection, this work presents a Sample Science Traceability Matrix (SSTM), a...
Authors
Maria-Paz Zorzano, Andrew D. Czaja, Tanja Bosak, Audrey Bouvier, Brandi L. Carrier, Katherine L. French, Daniel P. Glavin, Andrea D. Harrington, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Christopher D.K. Herd, Keyron Hickman-Lewis, Lisa E. Mayhew, Francis M. McCubbin, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Elliot Sefton-Nash, Sandra M. Siljeström, Justin L. Simon, Bronwyn L. Teece, Fiona Thiessen, Ben P. Weiss, the MSR Campaign Science Group, Gerhard Kminek, Lindsay E. Hays, Nicolas Dauphas, Lydia Hallis, Rachel Harris, Ernst Hauber, Laura Rodriguez, Andrew Steele, Kimberly Tait, Michael T. Thorpe, Tomo Usui, Michael Velbel, Jessica Vanhomwegen
Assessing flood water infiltration and storage in a restored floodplain Assessing flood water infiltration and storage in a restored floodplain
In urban areas, floodplain restoration is gaining prominence as a strategy for restoring the natural functions of floodplain ecosystems and reducing flood risk. This has spurred research into potential interactions between floodwaters, the hyporheic zone, and the floodplain aquifer. An urban restored stream in Wisconsin, USA, was used as a case study to examine four methods to estimate...
Authors
Nicholas Corson-Dosch, Faith Fitzpatrick, Paul Juckem, James D. Blount, Wonsook S. Ha
Case study of deep learning image segmentation for the purposes of rapid 2D petrographic analysis in volcanic rocks Case study of deep learning image segmentation for the purposes of rapid 2D petrographic analysis in volcanic rocks
Automation using deep learning methods is a useful alternative to manual methods of petrographic segmentation, but often requires user familiarity with coding and/or algorithms. We examine the DragonflyTM program's deep learning tools for application by users with a variety of skill levels as a method for petrographic image segmentation. An image processing methodology, bimodal image...
Authors
Brenna A. Halverson, Matthew W. Loewen, Hannah R. Dietterich, Alan Whittington
Modeling climate and hydropower influences on the movement decisions of an anadromous species Modeling climate and hydropower influences on the movement decisions of an anadromous species
In large river basins, migratory fish populations are threatened by the combination of hydropower and climate change. With river temperatures rising and hydropower development increasing globally, the longstanding monitoring programs for threatened Pacific salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin present an opportunity to study these impacts over extended time scales. We fit a...
Authors
Markus A. Min, Rebecca A. Buchanan, Mark David Scheuerell
Planning considerations related to contamination control for the return and analysis of Martian samples Planning considerations related to contamination control for the return and analysis of Martian samples
The joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is a proposed multi-mission effort to bring selected geological samples from Mars to Earth for the purpose of scientific investigation. Significant parts of these investigations could be affected by Earth-sourced contamination that is either misinterpreted as having a...
Authors
Alex L. Sessions, Cara Magnabosco, Hazel A. Barton, Christoph Burkhardt, Caroline Freissinet, Katherine L. French, Jason P. Dworkin, Daniel P. Glavin, Natalie Leys, Frank Maixner, Karen Olsson-Francis, Alexander J. Probst, Ghylaine Quitté, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Andrew Steele, Brandi L. Carrier, Lindsay E. Hays, Fiona Thiessen, Daniel Paardekooper, Aurore Hutzler, Andrea D. Harrington, Bronwyn L. Teece
Pre-Acadian tectonics of the eastern Orange-Milford Belt, south-central Connecticut Pre-Acadian tectonics of the eastern Orange-Milford Belt, south-central Connecticut
This excursion presents a reinterpretation of mapping and new analytical data from the eastern Orange-Milford belt (OMB) in south-central Connecticut. The OMB is a fault-bound terrane of argillites and mafic rocks of anomalously low metamorphic grade—and of poorly constrained ages and tectonic affinity—wedged between kyanite/sillimanite-grade peri- Laurentian rocks to the west and...
Authors
Ryan T. Deasy, Robert P. Wintsch, Bryan Wathen, Ryan J. McAleer, Romain Meyer, Michael J. Kunk
Widespread anhydrite saturation in Laramide-age arc magmas of southwestern USA Widespread anhydrite saturation in Laramide-age arc magmas of southwestern USA
Anhydrite is considered a rare mineral phase in magmas, with only ∼33 documented occurrences worldwide. However, anhydrite readily decomposes in the near-surface environment, making it difficult to recognize its former presence in rocks collected at or near Earth’s surface. In such samples, only small anhydrite inclusions fully shielded within other minerals can have survived. During a...
Authors
Andreas Audétat, Jia Chang, Sean Patrick Gaynor
Magma fragmentation and tephra deposition from a small-volume phreatomagmatic eruption: Blue Lake crater, Oregon, USA Magma fragmentation and tephra deposition from a small-volume phreatomagmatic eruption: Blue Lake crater, Oregon, USA
Maars pose considerable hazards due to their more explosive nature (compared with more common scoria cones) and likelihood that eruptions produce pyroclastic surges. Blue Lake crater is a maar in the Oregon High Cascades that erupted within the last 3000 years, making it one of the youngest eruptions in the Oregon Cascades. Its young, unaltered deposits make it an excellent site to...
Authors
Sophia Leiter, Pierre-Simon Ross, Emily Renee Johnson
UAS and high-resolution satellite imagery improve the accuracy of cheatgrass detection across an invaded Yellowstone landscape UAS and high-resolution satellite imagery improve the accuracy of cheatgrass detection across an invaded Yellowstone landscape
Context Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) is a problem across the western United States, where it outcompetes and replaces native grass species, alters habitats, and increases the risk of wildfires. Cheatgrass greens up earlier in the growing season compared to native grasses, making it classifiable with multi-temporal and multi-spectral remote sensing. Objectives We mapped cheatgrass at...
Authors
Jason R. Kreitler, Joshua W. Von Nonn, Seth M. Munson, Alex C. Zaideman, Steven T. Bekedam, Ann Rodman, Miguel L. Villarreal
Mechanisms influencing thermal refuges and territory occupancy by collared pikas during summer and winter Mechanisms influencing thermal refuges and territory occupancy by collared pikas during summer and winter
Collared pikas (Ochotona collaris) are cold adapted alpine lagomorphs of western Canada and Alaska, USA, that are vulnerable to direct and indirect effects of climate change. However, how and to what extent such changes influence persistence for this species is not well understood, particularly at fine spatial scales. Our goal was to evaluate how microclimate and microhabitat...
Authors
Lillian A. Harrison, Katherine S. Christie, Collette Brandt, Matthew Richard Falcy, Sophie L. Gilbert, Janet L. Rachlow
Monitoring Pacific walrus coastal haulouts by satellite to estimate herd abundance and distribution Monitoring Pacific walrus coastal haulouts by satellite to estimate herd abundance and distribution
The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) has a single, panmictic stock that ranges across the Bering and Chukchi Seas. However, its seasonal distribution is incompletely described, particularly in autumn when herds gather on shore, and abundance is of interest to management entities. We monitored walrus herds using satellite imagery on shore across their summer and autumn range...
Authors
Anthony S. Fischbach, Rebecca L. Taylor, David C. Douglas
Late Pleistocene kinematics of the Great Southern Puerto Rico Fault Zone, Puerto Rico Late Pleistocene kinematics of the Great Southern Puerto Rico Fault Zone, Puerto Rico
Several onshore faults in southern Puerto Rico have recently been recognized as Quaternary active. However, the kinematics of these faults, particularly any lateral component, remain largely unconstrained. It is difficult to characterize low strain‐rate faults, partially due to extensive erosional and anthropogenic landscape modification, steep relief, and frequent landsliding, limiting...
Authors
Emerson Madelyn Lynch, Jessica A. Thompson Jobe, Richard W. Briggs, M. Morow Tan, Victor Ortega Díaz, K. Stephen Hughes